Jazz, Classical & the Inventors

The deep roots — Adolphe Sax, the Belgian who invented the saxophone; Toots Thielemans, the harmonica and whistling legend; Django-adjacent gypsy jazz; and the Flemish classical tradition.

Part of The Belgian Sound

24 moments in this segment.

1. 1846 — Adolphe Sax — the Belgian who invented the saxophone. Adolphe Sax of Dinant patented the saxophone in 1846.
2. 1888 — César Franck — the Belgian Romantic. César Franck of Liège, a giant of late-Romantic composition.
3. 1923-01-01 — Eugène Ysaÿe — the violin virtuoso. Eugène Ysaÿe of Liège, the legendary violinist-composer.
4. 1937-03-03 — The gypsy-jazz roots. The Belgian gypsy-jazz tradition around Django Reinhardt's legacy.
5. 1962-04-04 — Toots Thielemans — "Bluesette". Toots Thielemans, the Brussels harmonica and whistling legend.
6. 1970-01-01 — Toots Thielemans with Quincy Jones. Toots's collaborations that carried Belgian jazz worldwide.
7. 1976 — Philip Catherine — jazz guitar. Philip Catherine, the celebrated Belgian jazz guitarist (1976).
8. 1998-02-02 — Toots Thielemans — "Old Friend". Toots in his elder-statesman years.
9. 2005 — Toots Thielemans — the harmonica master. Toots, who played with Quincy Jones and on countless film scores (2005).
10. 2009 — Toots Thielemans — Bluesette. Toots Thielemans, the Belgian harmonica master, playing his standard 'Bluesette' (2009).
11. 2010-08-08 — Jef Neve — Belgian jazz piano. Jef Neve, a leading contemporary Belgian jazz pianist.
12. 2012 — Aka Moon — Brussels jazz trio. Aka Moon, the influential Belgian contemporary-jazz trio (2012).
13. 2013-02-02 — Mélanie De Biasio — "No Deal". Mélanie De Biasio's breakthrough jazz-noir album.
14. 2014-04-04 — The saxophone — Adolphe Sax's legacy. How Adolphe Sax's invention conquered jazz and beyond.
15. 2015-03-03 — Ictus Ensemble — Belgian contemporary classical. Ictus, the Brussels contemporary-music ensemble.
16. 2015-09-09 — Mélanie De Biasio — dark jazz. Mélanie De Biasio, the Charleroi jazz-noir voice.
17. 2016-04-04 — STUFF. — Belgian nu-jazz. STUFF., the Brussels genre-blending nu-jazz collective.
18. 2016-05-05 — Stéphane Galland — Belgian jazz drums. Stéphane Galland, the Aka Moon drummer.
19. 2018-05-05 — Commander Spoon / the new Belgian jazz wave. The new wave of Belgian instrumental jazz.
20. 2018-10-10 — Brussels Philharmonic — the classical tradition. The Brussels Philharmonic, carrying Belgium's orchestral heritage.
21. 2019-06-06 — Black Flower — Ethio-jazz from Belgium. Black Flower, the Belgian Ethio-jazz band.
22. 2019-06-06 — B.O.X — Baroque Orchestration X. Baroque Orchestration X, reviving early music in Flanders.
23. 2021 — TaxiWars / Flemish jazz-rock. The crossover of Belgian jazz into rock energy (2021).
24. 2025 — The Queen Elisabeth Competition. Brussels' Queen Elisabeth Competition, a top classical contest (2025).